(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microwave oven that may cook food items by means of microwave heating. More particularly, it relates to a microwave oven that can cook two kinds of food items simultaneously.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional microwave oven comprises a chamber 23 forming a heating cavity 22 in a housing 21 having a magnetron 26 fixed by a bracket 27 to one side of the chamber 23 to generate microwave energy, a turn table 25 that is provided in the heating cavity 22 and is turned by a motor 24, and an inflow aperture 28 that is formed in the chamber 23 to admit microwave energy produced by the magnetron 26 into the heating cavity 22.
The conventional microwave oven has the following problems. A food item to be cooked is put on the turn table 25 in the cooking cavity 22 and the heating cavity 22 is then closed by a door 29. After power has been applied to the microwave oven in this condition, when a function selecting button provided in one side of the front surface of the housing 21 is selected, the motor 24 and the magnetron 26 are driven by a control signal of a micom. That is, the magnetron 26 produces microwave energy as turn table is turned by the motor 24.
The microwave energy produced from the magnetron 26, mounted by the bracket 27 to one exterior side of the chamber 23, flows into the heating cavity 22 through the inflow aperture 28 formed in the chamber 23. Therefore, the food item placed on the turn table 25 is cooked by microwave heating.
However, since the heating cavity 22 is just one cooking zone in the conventional microwave oven, when two kinds of food items are cooked, one is first cooked and the other is then cooked. The food item that was first cooked gets cold, while the second food item is being cooked. As a result, there is an inconvenience of reheating the food item first cooked.
In addition, cooking two food items in succession results in the increased consumption of cooking time and electric power.